Call Me Bella
by Ilsasya24
Summary: The Goblin King's persistence is wearing Sarah down. Two years after beating the Labyrinth she decides to run away. Where better to run than Forks, where her Uncle Charlie lives? Using her cousin's name, Sarah thinks that she may have finally found someplace normal. At least, until she meets the Cullens.
1. Starting Over

******Never written either a Twilight or Labyrinth fic so this will be interesting. ;)**

* * *

Sarah Williams woke with her mouth full of the taste of peaches. She was lying on something far too hard to be her pillow and yet too soft to be the floor. And it moved rhythmically up and down as though breathing. Even through the clouds of sleep alarms began ringing in her mind. She went from fully asleep to siting up in a matter of seconds. A few more seconds had her out of bed entirely.

"Jareth," she hissed angrily.

"Morning Precious," drawled the unaffected Gobling King, still lounging in her bed. Sarah looked at him helplessly. She would not ask him _why_ he was there and give him the satisfaction of making some witty remark. She knew him too well. Besides, she already knew the answer he would give. Seeing him every day for two years had allowed her to have a fairly good understanding of him. But somehow she knew that she'd never stop being surprised by him.

"I am here to see you, of course," Jareth answered her unasked question. Normally Sarah would have immediately retorted with "But why were you in my _bed_?" but she felt too tired today to deal with him and she really didn't want to know what his answer was. Jareth seemed to push her boundaries every day as though seeing how far she would bend before breaking. With a sigh Sarah sat at her vanity and began brushing her hair.

"Don't you have a kingdom to run?" Sarah asked at last. She could see Jareth smirk in the reflection of her mirror and she, not for the first—and certainly not the last—time wanted to slap the look off his face. Instead, she looked away.

"I am on an errand for my kingdom," he replied smugly.

"And that would be…?" Sarah asked without thinking. It was far too perfect a set-up, she realized belatedly.

"To check on the future Queen of Goblins." At this answer Sarah stilled her hands and sighed again. The brush was maneuvered away from her and it was gently run through her hair. She hadn't heard him get up.

"I will not become Queen of Goblins," she told him but it lacked energy. He had made some allusion to it every day these past two years and she rejected him each time. In the beginning she had rejected him with energy and assertiveness, always reminding him that he had no power over her. Now—two years later—tiredly repeating the same overused line, she understood that he did have power over her, and he was using it to his advantage. He was wearing her down.

As soon as Sarah thought this she began to worry. How close was she to just saying "yes" if only to stop his persistence? He had been in her bed this morning and was now brushing her hair without a word of protest from her. She didn't love him or even like him. She was just used to him. And that was dangerous.

She had to get away from him but that was easier said than done. Sarah sorted through the possibilities. She was only seventeen meaning living alone would be all the more difficult and she was broke anyway. Going to live with family was an option for most people but Sarah didn't seem to get along well with her family. Actually she didn't seem to get along with people in general. Her parents and friends had all drifted away over the years since her trip to the Labyrinth. Something about that place still clung to her, giving her an otherworldly aura. Or maybe it had something to do with Jareth's constant presence.

"Are you ready to come home, my queen?" Jareth whispered in her ear. Sarah smacked him on the head rather hard but it was probably cushioned by the fluffiness of his hair. She shook herself out of her musings and forced her attention to the moment. With Jareth around one could never let her guard down.

* * *

When Sarah arrived home from school Karen was in the kitchen. Try as she might, Sarah could not slip past unnoticed.

"Watch your feet," Karen called out as she spotted Sarah. "I just scrubbed the floors." Sarah nodded and stopped to remove her shoes.

"You got a call earlier," Karen said, still busy making dinner. "Uncle or something. He said he wanted you to visit." There was no mistaking the hope in Karen's voice. Sarah knew that she would not have mentioned it at all if she hadn't wanted Sarah to leave so badly.

"Uncle Charlie?" Sarah asked. Karen made a noncommittal noise. "Actually," Sarah said, a thought suddenly popping into her mind, "I was wondering if I might go stay with him, for the school year." Karen finally stopped fixing food long enough to give Sarah her attention. It was clear the suggestion made Karen ecstatic.

"Ask your uncle. If he agrees your father and I will pay for the plane ticket." Sarah smiled. If she hadn't wanted to leave this house so badly then she might have been offended by Karen's willingness to get rid of her. As it was, both women were equally excited. Uncle Charlie was Sarah's mother's brother and the only person—family or friend—that had voluntarily stayed in contact with her.

Other than Jareth, of course, but Sarah chose to ignore that.

* * *

Deceiving Jareth was easier than she would have thought. He had only really appeared in the mornings and it didn't seem as though he kept tabs on her for the rest of the day. Refusing his daily proposal was easier as she could count the days left until she would be on the other side of the country and away from him. Even on the very last morning he had not noticed anything different about her. She almost felt a little sad as they continued their daily banter. It wasn't that she was going to miss him or their conversations but more that she regretted that tomorrow he would come and find himself with nothing but an empty room.

Still, getting away from him was the best course of action and she had a very long plane ride to convince herself of this.

Getting off the plane in Port Angles, Sarah had no trouble finding Charlie. He was older and grayer than she remembered but it was clearly him. He was not the hugging type so Sarah stuck out her hand for him to shake. Charlie chuckled and exerted himself to give her a quick, awkward hug. Sarah hugged him back.

It had been an awfully long time since she had seen her uncle. Charlie had never gotten on well with Sarah's father, which was a great pity. Sarah always treasured the time she had spent in Forks. She had always loved small towns.

They walked to Charlie's police cruiser without a word. With Sarah spending the entire year they had no shortage of time. And Sarah liked Charlie's silence. It was peaceful. She spent most of the hour drive staring out the window at the forest while the radio played softly in the background. Forests always he seemed magical to Sarah and she loved them. Perhaps people might scoff at a seventeen year old who still firmly believed in magic but Sarah had _seen_ it. She'd seen things that were beyond the realm of human knowledge and it fascinated her.

But, right now and for the next year, Sarah was content with her forest and mere dreams of fantasy. She had seen enough mythical and magical creatures to last a lifetime. A small town like Forks should be exactly what she needed: peaceful, quiet and—above all—normal.

"Do you remember Isabella?" Charlie asked her some ways into the trip. Sarah was jolted out of her fantasies at this unexpected interruption.

"My cousin? Yeah."

"She was supposed to come up to stay with me." Sarah was suddenly filled with guilt.

"Oh Charlie, I'm sorry! If you had told me…" he waved a hand to stop her apology.

"She didn't come." This flat and calm statement seemed more heartbreaking than any tears or any anger.

"I'm so sorry," Sarah said gently. He shook his head.

"I'm fine. Besides, I have you to keep me company," Charlie said gruffly. Sarah gave him a fond smile. "I only mentioned it because I got her entered into the school here and it's a small town so people talk…"

"They are going to think I'm Isabella," Sarah stated. Charlie scratched his neck and gave a nod. Sarah was starting to grow irritated at her cousin who would rather stay with her flighty, irresponsible and even neglectful mother when she had such as dependable father.

"That's fine. I could be Isabella. If you don't mind that is," Sarah added hastily. Charlie shrugged.

"I can change it," Charlie offered but Sarah shook her head.

"Nah. Who knows, it could be fun. And I could use a fresh start," Sarah mumbled the last part to herself.

"Besides, I can't think of anyone I'd rather have for a father," she said. Charlie blushed and mumbled something. Sarah returned to staring at the forest with a smile.

Upon arriving at the house, Sarah noticed an old rusted truck parked out front. In such a small town there was no one that didn't recognize their chief of police on sight so Charlie drove his cruiser everywhere whether or not he was on duty.

"Hey Charlie," she called as they exited the car, "what's with the truck?"

"I bought it cheap from Billy Black. Figured you would need a car." Sarah grinned at him and walked around the car to kiss him on the cheek.

"Thanks. I love it." She made a beeline for the truck. Though she hadn't seen the inside yet or even knew if it worked, Sarah loved it because it was the first time in a long while she felt she had someone looking out for her.

Sarah ran her fingers along the rust red paint. Only Jareth had given her thoughtful gifts like this. She pulled her hand away sharply. She wouldn't—couldn't—think about Jareth. That was why she had left in the first place, to get away from him. It would entirely defeat her purpose if she began to—heaven forbid—miss him. Shaking her head she followed Charlie into the house.

It was not a large house, but with just Charlie there it seemed cavernous. Sarah paused to look down the hallway at the long rows of picture frames. They were all of Isabella, one for every year. Sarah sighed. As she turned she saw one more picture on the other side of the hall. Her own smiling face stared back at her. It was the picture she'd sent last year.

Every new discovery she made seemed to make Sarah feel better and better about her decision.

After all, in a town like Forks, what could possibly go wrong?

* * *

**Just the intro. We will see Edward next chapter and Jareth will return. The goal with this story is to give a reason for some of Bella's quirks and characteristics. The pairing is already decided.**


	2. The Cullens

**Sorry for the long wait, I've been exceedingly busy. :(**

* * *

Sarah woke the next morning to an empty room. She was alone. It startled her. Jumping up as quickly as she had previous mornings, she scanned the room as if searching for a hidden Jareth with nefarious intentions. It took her several minutes to remember where she was. Even longer to remember who.

"Isabella Swan," she said slowly, trying out the name. Sitting on her bed she repeated it using a variety of inflections and accents until she dissolved into a fit of giggles.

"Bella Swan," she said once she had finished giggling. "Beautiful Swan." She started giggling again. As cheesy as some might find the name, Sarah loved it. It appealed to the part of her that loved to run to the park after school to recite lines to a grumpy old owl. Perhaps it was childish, perhaps it was naive but Sarah was starting a new life and she could be whoever or whatever she pleased.

With her mind fully made up, Sarah giggled as she dashed to the bathroom. Once she was fully clean and dressed Sarah—with great enthusiasm—skipped to the stairs. She had just begun her decent when her toe caught on the edge of the stair sending her off-balance and about to careen down the stairwell. For a moment she was falling.

Instinctually she managed to grasp the handrail and jerk herself upright again. Sarah stood still for several minutes, catching her breath and allowing her adrenaline to fade. She had never thought she had been that clumsy.

Slowly—and with a good deal more caution—Sarah managed the rest of her journey downstairs without incident. Charlie was already seated at the table with a cup of coffee in front of him and the sports section of the newspaper in his hands.

"Morning Char—Dad." Sarah quickly corrected herself. Charlie looked up from his paper with a raised eyebrow.

"You really want to go through with it?" he asked her, a trifle skeptical. Sarah nodded and let out a cheerful "yep". Charlie sighed and straightened out his paper.

Sarah sat down with a bowl of cereal and a glass of orange juice and ate in silence as she examined the other pieces of the paper. Sometime later Charlie set down his newspaper and stood.

"Well then," he said, "have a good day… Isabella." Sarah waved at him.

"You too." Charlie shrugged on his coat and made his way to the door.

"Oh, and dad," Sarah called to him. Charlie turned curiously. "Call me Bella."

* * *

Perhaps, thought Sarah sometime later, she should have asked Charlie for directions. Of course, she hadn't expected to need them in a town as small as Forks but it seemed her sense of direction was not as reliable as she had thought it to be. And, it appeared Charlie had not filled up the tank on the truck yet. Oh well, she could kill two birds with one stone.

Sarah pulled into the gas station with a fortunate half an hour until school started. It was a lucky she had decided to leave early, very lucky. To be late to her first day of school would hardly be a good start.

She glanced around for the attendant but didn't see one. The gas station wasn't busy enough for such a wait. After another quick glance, Sarah exited her truck. Another car was parked around the other side of the pump but there appeared to be no attendant there either. Did they expect her to pump her own gas?

Sarah looked around at the driver of the other car—a sleek black Mercedes—and saw a young, well-dressed man leaning over the fuel pump. Sarah returned to her pump in mild frustration. She wasn't in New Jersey anymore. No, she was in Washington where everyone pumped their own gas. But how exactly did they do it?

"Do you need some help?" asked a friendly voice to her right. She turned to see the driver of the black Mercedes examining her with an open smile.

"Uh… yeah," she said slowly, shooting a dubious look back at the gas pump. His smile grew gentler as he stepped forward and took the nozzle from her. Slowly he explained the process and watched as she attempted to fill her tank.

"You're new here," he said. It was not a question. "Are you from Oregon? Not many people stop in Forks."

"I just moved here from Phoenix." Recognition lighted in his eyes immediately.

"You must be Chief Swan's daughter, Isabella," he said. Sarah nodded with a smile.

"Just Bella." She stuck out her hand for him to shake.

"I'm Carlisle Cullen," he responded as he grasped her hand. Sarah felt a sudden shock as he touched her. His hands were cold, cold as ice, almost as though the skin was dead. She yanked her hand back suddenly. Carlisle was a little taken aback.

"Sorry," he said. "I have poor circulation."

"I'm sorry. It was just a bit shocking," she said as she properly shook his hand. He smiled at her and she smiled back but there was something tight about both of those smiles. Sarah had not pulled away because his hands were cold. That wouldn't have been enough for her reaction. No, she had pulled away because she had felt something, a sort of unearthly feeling. It was almost the same feeling that Jareth gave off, a feeling of power and of magic. Sarah carefully eyed Carlisle but decided she must have been mistaken. There was nothing unnatural about him. He was a nice and good man, not an evil goblin king. Her paranoia was getting to her. She was safe in Forks; there was nothing supernatural here for her to worry about.

Sarah finished filling the tank and put the nozzle back. She looked back up at Carlisle with a grateful smile.

"Thank you," she said earnestly. He smiled back at her.

"I take it you haven't done that before," he said. She nodded a bit self-consciously. After a moment Carlisle's face seemed to express confusion. "I thought Arizona was a self-service state as well," he remarked. Sarah blanched.

"I didn't drive a lot." Carlisle accepted her lie and glanced at his watch.

"It was nice to meet you Bella," he said. She smiled at him.

"You too." He returned the smile and began to walk away. Sarah was about to get into her car when she remembered the other reason she had stopped to get gas.

"Wait," she called. He turned back. "How do I get to Forks High School?"

* * *

Sarah managed to find the school quickly due to Carlisle's directions. She found it quickly enough that she was able to check in at the office and make it to her first class on time. It was English. Sarah introduced herself to the teacher and gave him a slip to sign. If the teacher gaped a bit too long after hearing her name or if her classmates murmured a bit too loud, she didn't seem to notice.

The reading list was fairly simple though Sarah was bit disappointed that there was nothing more obscure. While she loved Shakespeare, he did not hold the monopoly on good writing. Sarah spent most of the class writing more interesting reading suggestions on the slip. _The Importance of Being Earnest. Kalpa Imperial. 1984. The Labyrinth. _She stopped as she saw the last title she had written. Biting her lip, Sarah slowly ran her eraser over it. She moved the eraser faster and faster until there was nothing more than a faint, illegible shadow where the title had been. Sarah shook her head.

As she tried to shake the strange feeling away, the bell rang. It took her a moment to understand what it was. She was still sitting at her seat when a boy with dark hair and a poor complexion strolled over next to her desk.

"You're Isabella Swan, right?" He seemed friendly.

"Bella," she stuck her hand out to shake his. He looked at the proffered hand with slight bemusement before taking it.

"Eric," he told her. Sarah turned slightly to put her things away but not so much as to dismiss him. He hovered about the edge of her desk.

"Where's your next class?" he asked once she had finished packing her things.

"Building six?" Sarah checked her schedule. "Yeah, government."

"I'm going to building four. Why don't I walk you?" Sarah shrugged and accepted his offer.

It was strange. They made small talk as he walked her to her class (which was passed his). Thankfully he did most of the talking. Though he asked the occasional question about Arizona, they were easily answerable. While it was strange to attempt to speak about a place she had never been, her acting classes had gotten her used to that. The strangest part was simply the idea of a friend walking her to class. How long had it been since that had happened? Two years? Two and a half? How long had it been since she had made small talk at all?

"Well, good luck," Eric said. Sarah jumped a little when she realized that they were already at her classroom door. "Maybe we'll have more classes together." He sounded earnestly hopeful which made Sarah smile warmly at him.

"I hope so," she said.

* * *

Sarah found the rest of the morning to go just as well as first period had. There was always at least one person who would take the trouble of coming to talk to her. And, after Mr. Varner (her trigonometry teacher) had her introduce herself to the class, people seemed to smile at her even more. Perhaps it was because she was such an oddity in this small town. Still, it felt nice.

And Sarah was even asked to join some people for lunch by a girl named Jessica who even walked her to the cafeteria. The idea of eating with people was strange. Her lunch companions talked and joked about teachers and couples in the school. Sarah tried to keep up but wasn't quite up to it. She glanced around the room and caught Eric's eye. He waved at her. She waved back.

It was just as she was turning away from Eric that she saw them.

They were sitting at a table in the corner and they were the only ones sitting there. As a one-time loner herself, Sarah could tell that they were separated from the rest by choice. It wasn't that their classmates avoided them, but rather that they avoided their classmates.

They weren't talking nor were they eating. They didn't have books or games so it appeared that they simply entertained themselves by staring into space. They didn't seem remotely interested in the rest of the students or even really in each other. They gave off a feeling that they were indifferent, not just to school or their classmates, but life in general.

And they were all so inhumanly pale. Other than that feature they all looked different. There were two blonds—a guy and a girl—and two brunettes—also one guy and one girl—and the last guy had a head of copper colored hair. His hair color was strange but after knowing several thespians, Sarah had seen much stranger hair. Maybe he dyed it.

Jessica looked over at Sarah and followed her gaze. She snorted.

"You found the Cullens I see," she said. Sarah glanced back at her. Cullen. Why did it sound familiar?

"The Cullens?" Sarah looked back over at the table only to find that the copper top was looking at her expressionlessly. She was used to being observed and his dark eyes didn't faze her. She smiled at him. He looked away.

"That's Edward Cullen," Jessica informed her with a giggle after watching the exchange. "Next to him are Alice and Emmett Cullen. The other two are Jasper and Rosalie Hale. They all live together with Dr. Cullen and his wife."

"Carlisle Cullen," Sarah said quietly, the answer coming to her at last. Jessica looked over at her in shock and mild disappointment. Sarah was better informed than she had expected.

"Yes, Dr. Cullen."

"They don't look like him," Sarah commented, examining the group a bit closer.

"They are all adopted. Dr. Cullen is really young, twenties or thirties." Sarah nodded.

"They seem very… close?" Sarah wasn't sure if she meant it as sarcasm or not. The group did not talk to each other yet the way they sat indicated a bond.

"They are all _together._ Jasper and Alice. Emmett and Rosalie. And they _live_ together." Sarah looked back at Jessica to see the face she was making. Clearly this was something of a scandal in the school though Sarah couldn't really say she cared.

"Have they lived here long?" Sarah asked, mostly because it seemed Jessica was keen to talk on the subject.

"No. They just moved here two years ago from Alaska, I think." Sarah nodded and was about to ask another question when the copper top—she had forgotten his name—looked over at her again. Instead of an expressionless mask, his eyes showed genuine curiosity now. Sarah's eyes expressed the same emotion.

"Who is he again?" Sarah broke her eye contact with the boy to turn to Jessica.

"That's Edward. He's gorgeous but don't waste your time, he doesn't date." There was a slight bitterness to Jessica's tone that clearly implied that she had been rejected. Sarah's lips lifted into a slightly devious smirk, faintly reminiscent of the teasing expression of a certain goblin king.

"Why not?" Sarah asked as Jessica took a sip of her water. "Is he stuck-up, gay or asexual?" Jessica spat her water out in surprise on the person in front of her. While Jessica apologized to her friend, Sarah went back to observing the Cullen table. Edward was no longer looking at her but instead seemed to be glaring at the largest of the group (Emmett?) who was shaking with laughter.

Sarah examined Edward (or what she could see of him as he was turned away from her) and thought about Jessica's comment. Gorgeous was he? Sarah didn't deny that he was attractive yet the Jessica had said it had made him out to be an incomparable beauty. Sarah was doubtful that he should be deemed "gorgeous". It had to do with her standard for beauty, she decided. After living two years with the insufferable but undeniably handsome goblin king, Sarah's standard for beauty may have been bumped up a few notches from normal.

Edward turned back to look at her again, this time his eyes were guarded. It almost seemed as though he had heard her comment. Sarah openly stared back at him. After a minute he turned away again and the five of them stood and walked gracefully out of the room.

* * *

Sarah entered her next class with a quiet but kind girl named Angela. It was nice not having to walk to classes alone. Sarah introduced herself to the teacher who signed her slip and handed her a book without ceremony. He left Sarah to take the only unoccupied spot in the classroom, the seat next to Edward Cullen. Her lips quirked up slightly as she placed her things down.

Edward went ridged as she sat down. His muscles tensed so violently that he almost seemed to be shaking. Sarah looked over at him and her smile dropped away. She was actually used to this kind of behavior, just not to this level. In New Jersey people had avoided her and ignored her openly but never with such an intense reaction. Sarah had been hopeful that her life in Forks would be different because the people so far had been kind. But, Sarah wondered if she hadn't been too far off the mark when she had jokingly called Edward "stuck-up".

Sarah turned back to the front, determined to ignore him. Everyone else she had met here was kind and she felt as though she could actually make friends. But that didn't mean that she needed to make that attempt with everyone. She wondered idly how a man like Carlisle could raise a son like Edward before she put him out of her mind completely.

Sarah paid attention to the entirety of the lesson, regardless that she had done it before. It was the easiest way to prevent her mind from wandering to her tablemate. Once the bell rung, Edward was out of his seat and the room before Sarah had much chance to even blink. She glanced curiously out of the door.

"Isabella Swan?" Sarah looked up at a fair haired boy with a round face and a winning smile. She wanted to sigh as she realized he was another perfectly attractive guy ruined by her association with Jareth.

"Just Bella," she said in confirmation. Sarah stuck out her hand in greeting as she had done to everyone she had met, students and teachers alike. They all gave her a strange look before accepting. This guy, however, seemed to have already heard about her strange habit.

"I'm Mike," he said as he took her hand. He shook it for a moment too long.

"Hey," she said, at a loss for anything else.

"Can I help you find your next class?" he asked helpfully. Sarah smiled at him.

"I've got gym, so I think I'm okay." Mike's answering grin was wide.

"Me too. Let's go together," he said with gushing enthusiasm. He seemed a bit overzealous but Sarah knew that it was much better than the alternative. She agreed happily.

Mike certainly knew how to talk but Sarah was able to keep up with him. She let him talk about living in California to deflect his questions about Arizona. Sarah decided that she ought to do some serious research on her supposed birth state considering all the questions she was asked about it.

"What did you do to Edward Cullen? I've never seen him act like that before." Mike asked her. Sarah's mood darkened a bit.

"It was the first I'd talked to him. He was different than normal?"

"Yeah. The Cullens seem aloof but usually they keep to themselves." Sarah pondered this a moment. She didn't have to wonder why someone could take such an intense dislike to her so quickly. Her entire school had done that before. After her trip to the Labyrinth, it seemed that no one wanted anything to do with her. But that had not carried to this school. Everyone here seemed to think she was normal and they treated her well. All except for him.

"I don't know," Sarah said, more to herself than him.

"He's a weird guy," Mike remarked.

They had reached the gym now and Mike disappeared into the changing room after giving her a little wave. Sarah found the gym teacher but he told her she'd have to sit out until she could get a uniform. Vaguely, Sarah wondered why she'd even bothered to show up then.

When the bell rang, Sarah made her way to the office to drop off her paperwork. As she pushed the door open and stepped into the warm office, she immediately recognized the head of copper hair that was bent over the front desk. He was arguing with the secretary over a change in his schedule. Had it been anyone else, Sarah would have felt bad for eavesdropping but she merely leaned against the wall and waited for him to be done.

"Surely there must be something," he insisted. The secretary shook her head.

"I'm afraid that is the only science class during that period," she said. Sarah started. Science class? The jerk was trying to switch out of her class. To be so desperate about switching this late in the year could only mean that he wanted out because _Sarah_ was in his class. She glared at the back of his head and pushed up from the wall ready to give him a piece of her mind.

The door opened as another student walked in and dropped a paper onto the desk and walked out again. This action somehow seemed to draw Edward's attention to Sarah. He glared at her with his black eyes before turning back to the secretary.

"Never mind," he said hastily, turning to leave even as he spoke. "I can see that it's impossible. Thank you so much for your help." He strode past Sarah with a quick a walk as he could manage. Even with him moving at that speed, Sarah still managed to mutter one word to him as he passed.

"Asshole." She smirked as she heard his steps falter but quickly schooled her expression into a polite smile as she approached the desk. As she discussed with the secretary, Sarah was certain there was a slightly too long pause before the door opened and Edward left.


End file.
